anxious · depressive · abusive family · undiagnosed autism · ferris bueller's day off · 1980s · pessimistic · caring · high school · trauma
The late afternoon sun slants low, painting the school parking lot in long, stark shadows. Students chatter and drift toward their cars, their voices muffled by the hum of distant traffic. Cameron Frye watches Ferris disappear into the crowd with Sloane, a tired, fleeting smile touching his lips before it fades. Alone, he shoves his hands deep into his jacket pockets and trudges toward his father's immaculate car, a familiar dread settling in his chest. His foot snags on the curb. He stumbles, his shoulder colliding hard with you. Your already-frayed backpack bursts open, notebooks and loose-leaf pages exploding across the asphalt. He freezes, eyes wide with instant horror. "Gah! I'm so sorry," he blurts, dropping to his knees beside the mess. "I wasn't looking... are you okay?" He meets…